Facing the past, moving into the future
by cardiothoracicwhore
Summary: Cristina is visited by the demons of her past, as her and Owen are working towards their future together. A/N I don't own anything.
1. Chapter 1

Colin Marlow, world renowned surgeon sat at the bar nursing his gin and tonic. He'd flown into New York last night for a yearly medical conference, focusing in cardiothoracic surgery. Tomorrow he'd speak on his Marlow transplant, as he did wherever he went. He was considered a pioneer of the medical profession, which is probably the contributor to his arrogant behavior. Taking another sip, he prepared himself for his speech. He'd done this dozens of times; it was like driving to him now. Another boring speech, another monotonous conference, he thought to himself. Throwing a twenty towards the bartender he reached for his coat, deciding to call it a night. Just then the door opened, and a tall dark skinned man walked in.

Preston Burke walked into the dimly lit hotel bar, hanging his coat over his arm. Nodding towards the bartender, he slid unto a stool. "Preston Burke," an accented voice echoed from behind him. Internally cringing, Preston slowly turned to respond. "Colin," he extended his hand, shaking it warmly. He hadn't changed at all. He still stood with an arrogant stance, his eyes slightly downcast. "It's been quite a long time Preston," Colin smiled, taking a seat. Nodding, Preston reached for his drink taking a long sip. "It has," he sighed. Seeing Colin again caused a flood of memories to come back. Seattle Grace, Cristina, the wedding. Finishing off his drink, he motioned for another one. The sudden influx of haunting thoughts was giving him a migraine.

As Colin watched Burke down his drink quickly, he sensed his discomfort. The bastard in himself was strangely happy that he still felt unnerved by his presence. It was surprising seeing he and Cristina were married, obviously he was no longer a threat. None the less, it was entertaining. Taking notice of the wedding ring on his hand, he was bitterly reminded that he'd lost. He'd lost her. Not someone who was good at small talk, he decided to beat around the bush. "So," he began, gaining Preston's attention. "How is she, how is Cristina?" he asked.

Preston's stomach dropped, his eyes went wide. He hadn't heard, how could he not have heard? Colin Marlow may be a medical genius, but he also gossiped like a fifteen year old girl. He knew everything about everyone, especially everything about Cristina. Avoiding the question, Preston sighed quietly and removed his glasses from their perch on his nose. Out of habit and nervous tick, he breathed on them then rubbed them on the corner of his shirt. "Uh Cristina," he started, grasping to find the correct words. "We're uh, we're not together," he finally muttered. The look on Colin's face ranged from pure surprised to unadulterated glee.

"You're not together?" Colin asked, incredulous. Preston nodded, averting his eyes. Colin tried to organize his thoughts, attempted to bite his tongue. He knew he shouldn't ask what happened; it really wasn't any of his business. Though there was only one other person who could tell him everything, and she wasn't exactly the sharing type. She was also on the other side of the country finishing off her residency. "But the ring? What exactly happened?" He asked, morbidly curious.

An uncomfortable look spread across Preston's face, as he considered whether or not to answer Colin's question. The ring was from his marriage, the one that had just ended about six months ago. After leaving Cristina at the altar, he'd taken some time away. Moved out to Boston, took an attending position at Mass Gen. He'd dated a few women, but nothing serious until he met Cora. She was nothing like Cristina, and he liked that. It was easier, Cora was warm and maternal. She wanted a family, and she wanted to be a wife. Sure he loved her, but there wasn't the same passion he had with Cristina. They pretended until they couldn't anymore. "The uh ring's from my marriage, that recently ended. It's just out of habit, wearing it," he murmured, clearly uncomfortable. "As for Cristina and I, we never did get married. There were circumstances.." he trailed off, losing steam.

"You never got married?" Colin clarified, trying to keep composure. He really thought they'd make it. When Cristina was with him, she acted different. She wasn't his Cristina anymore, and however upsetting it was, he'd accepted it. When he'd left Seattle Grace, he had no intention of reaching out to her again. Why would he, she was Burke's Cristina. Correction, used to be Burke's Cristina. "You never got married," he repeated, the shock wearing off.

"No, we never did," Burke answered, a twinge of annoyance resounding in his voice. Burke thought to Cristina's face as he walked out of the church, leaving her. He remembered the discussion he had with his mother, after she'd met with her. A small ache plagued his chest, it was harder to breathe. All this talking was digging up feelings, feelings he'd thought he'd suppressed long ago. Preston reached for another drink, he needed it. He was about to continue when Colin suddenly stood up.

"I'm sorry to hear about you and Cristina," he apologized, surprisingly sincere. Extending his hand, he shook it goodbye. "I've got an early morning tomorrow, I'm going to head out," Colin slid his arms into his coat, and grabbed his briefcase. "I'll see you tomorrow, at your speech," Preston smiled slightly, waving goodbye.

Colin quickly exited the bar, and anxiously awaited the elevator. Fingers rapping against the wall, he tapped his foot. Stepping into the awaiting elevator, he pushed the top floor button and waited as he ascended towards his room. Unlocking the door, he moved to his computer his fingers typing furiously. Usually a very calm person, Colin was greatly surprised by how Cristina Yang still had a hold on him. Dialing the number off the screen into his phone, he brought it to his ear.

"Yes, hello. I'd like one ticket for tomorrow evening, yes. The destination? Seattle Washington please," he ordered, before hanging up the phone. Though he wasn't a rash person, he'd always been a little undone by Cristina Yang. He was going to find out what really happened, he'd get her to talk.


	2. Chapter 2

Trailing my fingers lightly across Owen's arm, I watched him as he slept peacefully. His eyelids were dark, a side effect of the lack of sleep he'd gotten since his promotion. His even breaths kept a steady rhythm, the only noise in our otherwise silent house. My fingers continued their circle on his forearm, tracing a freckle or two. Some people would think it strange or even disturbing to watch your husband sleep, but for me it was just a reminder of how far we'd come together. Just a few years ago, Owen was plagued with sleepless nights and frightful night terrors, due to his heroic efforts in Iraq. It still brought chills to my spine when I thought about that night in my apartment where his hands found themselves around my neck, his eyes manic. Watching him sleep with a face free of fear or anger was worth every second we put into our healing and therapy.

Glancing at the clock, my fingers stopped their circular motions as I reached to switch off the alarm before it went off. Gingerly, I nudged Owen awake. His eyelids fluttered for a moment, then I was gazing into seas of blue. "Good morning," he smiled, kissing my temple. Nuzzling into his chest, he cradled me gently. "Morning," I mumbled into his tee-shirt. "Aren't we in a good mood this morning," Owen commented on my kinder than usual morning manner. Usually I wasn't that much fun to be around until I'd at least had a cup of coffee.

Sighing, I kissed his cheek. "It's our anniversary, I think that calls for a happy attitude," I reminded him, entwining my hand with his. Owen broke into a smile, crushing my closer to his chest. "I can't believe Derek was in jail on our wedding night," he mused, laughing at the memory. Chuckling, I thought back to that night. It seemed so long ago, with all we'd weathered in the past year. "Kepner was sobbing, and Mark couldn't keep his eyes of Little Grey," I reminisced, smirking. "Seems like so long ago," he murmured.

Nodding my head, I silently agreed with him. Leaning in, he kissed my square on the lips. His fingers took root in my curls, as I gripped his shoulders. When he finally pulled away, we were both smiling. "Happy anniversary," he kissed me once more on the cheek before rolling out of bed and padding towards the bathroom. "Happy anniversary," I called, before snuggling back into bed. Lying back unto the pillow, I smiled to myself, realizing how lucky I was to have Owen. How lucky we were to have each other.

Leaning on the nurses' station I nodded a greeting to Meredith who was approaching, two coffees in hand. Reaching for one, I took a large sip before properly greeting her. "Good morning," I chirped, still in a decent mood from this morning. Tonight Owen and I had plans to go celebrate our anniversary. He was taking me to the lighthouse that he'd planned to take me to on our disastrous first date. If you would've told me on that night that in less than two years later, we would be married I would've thought you were seriously senile.

"You're happy, and it's the morning. Did you have some amazing surgery before rounds this morning?" Meredith asked, jealousy seething in her voice. "Oh calm down, you didn't miss any surgery," I rolled my eyes, though I knew if the roles were reversed I'd be reacting exactly like Meredith but worse. Meredith raised her eyebrow, "Then why the happy morning Cristina?" she inquired.

"It's Owen and I's anniversary today. Aren't you supposed to be happy on your anniversary?" I clarified, surprised that everyone found my good mood strange. Meredith nodded, organizing some charts. "You are supposed to be happy on your anniversary, if you're a normal person. But you're Cristina Yang, badass surgeon extraordinaire. I only see you truly happy when you get an amazing surgery, or the cafeteria serves really good food," Meredith teased, tossing her empty coffee cup into the trash.

"Oh shut up," I responded. "I can be happy, it's a normal feeling on one's anniversary," I told her, intent on convincing her that I, Cristina Yang was capable of having normal human feelings. Most days I would write off normal human emotions as weak and intolerable, but I figured for Owen's sake I could try for one day to be human. "Whatever you say Cristina," Meredith smiled, chocking back a laugh. "Anyway, did you hear about the awesome cardio case coming in this week?" She asked, her eyes filled with excitement.

My mood had suddenly improved even more; a hardcore cardio case always boosted my mood. "No, but I'm getting on it," I declared. Heading towards the chief's office, I rehearsed what I was going to say in my head. Usually Owen refused to favor me, but today was our anniversary, he had to get me onto that cardio case. Ducking my head inside, I smiled as I watched Owen concentrate on an email he'd just gotten. His eyebrows were furrowed, his blue eyes intent on getting every word.

Silently, I walked into his office and made my way behind his chair. Reaching out, I began to massage his shoulders. Shifting his position Owen was now laying back against his chair, his head craned so he could look at me. "So," I began, trying to sound persuasive. "I heard about this amazing cardio case that's coming in from Meredith. Since Teddy didn't tell me about it, I'm assuming she either doesn't know about it or doesn't want me in on it," I sighed, hoping he was catching my not so subtle hints.

Smiling, Owen got out of the chair and pulled me into his arms. "Happy anniversary Cristina," he whispered into my ear. Shivering, I couldn't help but get distracted. It was hard to keep composure when Owen was around. "Hey, you're avoiding my conversation. And anyway, didn't we already to this this morning?" I asked him, hoping he would focus back on the cardio case.

Owen chuckled before kissing my cheek. Sitting down on the couch, he motioned for me to follow. Settling in next to him, he put his arm around me. "The cardio case is for you, it's your anniversary present," Owen smiled, clearly pleased with himself. I was speechless. "How?" I asked, morbidly curious, and slightly nervous now because I didn't have a present for him. Oh well, I'd figure something out with Meredith later.

"I heard about the case through the grapevine, a few of the top hospitals have been discussing how the treat the condition. I've been talking with Teddy and she thinks that the two of you will be able to work something out, but she needed a little help. So then I figured I'd bring in one of those cardio gods who you're always going on about. I think you're going to like him. Well I called him last night and it turns out he was on his way to Seattle anyway to visit some old friends. So he's coming in today, and the three of you will work your cardio magic, and the patient will be here by the end of the week," he finished.

"Thank you," was all I could say. He really did know me, this was the perfect anniversary present. Shit, I really hope Meredith's extremely creative and sentimental because this man deserves a fantastic and meaningful gift. "You're welcome," he replied, standing up. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tucked my face into his shoulder. "Happy anniversary," I said again, feeling his lips kissing my hair.

"Excuse me," a voice came from the doorway, my blood went cold. "I'm looking for an Owen Hunt, chief of surgery," it continued. Untangling himself from my embrace, he cleared his throat. "Uh yes, that's me. Nice to meet you Dr. Marlow, and thanks for coming in on short notice," Owen extended his hand to shake Dr. Marlow's.

"It's not a problem at all, I'm extremely intrigued," Colin responded, never taking his eyes from me. "Let me introduce to you one of the doctors on your case, Cristina Yang," he motioned in my direction. As Colin chocked back laughter, I was chocking back vomit. Was this seriously happening, again?

"We've met," Colin accented voice clipped. My heart sunk to my feet, as Owen's expression shifted into one of surprise. Oh great, here we go again.


	3. Chapter 3

Clearly uncomfortable, Owen cleared his throat. After a moment his face shifted, it became unnaturally calm. Pretending he hadn't heard Colin's last comment, he motioned for both of us to follow his out of his office. "I'll show both of you to the conference room, Dr. Teddy Altman, the lead surgeon on this case will be meeting us in there," Owen explained, his voice controlled, I could sense the tension. Owen was never one for surprises.

"Great, I look forward to meeting her," Colin responded politely, before glancing towards me. Looking straight ahead, I attempted to ignore his eyes which were burning wholes in my skull. "What?" I hissed under my breath, still avoiding eye contact. He reached out his arm, sticking it in front of me. Grimacing, I pushed his hand away instinctually. We were now a few steps behind Owen, who was walking rather quickly, probably anxious to talk to me.

"Chief of surgery, impressive," Colin cracked, grinning. Narrowing my eyes, I turned to face him. Jabbing my finger into his chest, we both stopped into the middle of the highway. "Enough, we're not going to do this. My relationship is none of your business, we will not discuss it," I snapped, not noticing that Owen had stopped to observe out conversation. His face was conflicted, somewhere between anger, and pride.

Colin, the arrogant jerk he is continued smirking. "There's the old Cristina, my Cristina," he murmured, reaching to caress my cheek. Flinching backward, I smacked his hand. "Keep your hands to yourself Dr. Marlow. And I am nothing to you but anymore but a colleague. I don't belong to you, I don't belong to anyone," I turned on my heel and walked towards the conference room.

I noticed Owen had left, probably gotten sick of watching another man hit on his wife. Silently I cursed fate that of all days Colin Marlow could ruin, he ruined the one that mattered most to Owen and I's relationship. "You belong to , I notice you both wear wedding rings," he commented as he jogged to catch up with me.

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed. "I don't belong to Owen, I'm not his property. We are together, we are married," I stressed, getting fed up with Colin already. It hadn't been more than ten minutes in his presence, and already I was near ready to push him down some stairs or something of that nature.

By now, we'd reached the conference room. Owen was waiting outside of it, a frown causing a crease in his brow. He motioned to Colin to go in and introduce himself to Teddy. As I followed, he reached for my hand. We inched around the corner, out of sight and earshot of our colleagues in the conference room.

Owen raised an eyebrow at me, as I bit my lip nervously. "Cristina," he sighed, smoothing my hair. Unlike my reaction to Colin's unwanted touch, I leaned into Owen's hand. "I wish someone would've mentioned your relationship with the _cardio god _when I mentioned bringing him in to help on the case," a smiled tugged at his lips. "I'm sorry," I whispered, expecting he'd be angry at me. When Burke found out about my relationship with Colin Marlow, he'd been furious. He could believe I hadn't mentioned that I knew him, let alone dated him for three years.

"Why are you apologizing? I've certainly been with people before I met you. We all have pasts," he reminded me gently. Burying my face into his neck, I wasn't concerned who witnessed my rare public display of affection. Kissing him softly on the neck, I murmured 'I love you' against his shoulder before disentangling myself out of his embrace. "Then I'll thank you. I can only imagine how you must feel about this. Thank you for not letting this ruin our anniversary," I pecked him lightly on his lips before entering the conference room. Colin looked up at me, ready to whisper something I knew would cause me to snap.

"Dr. Altman," I nodded, taking a seat. As Teddy began discussing the case, I found it difficult to focus. My eyes drifted over to Owen, then to Colin. Colin was staring in my direction, and Owen was staring towards Colin, unsmiling. Poor Owen, he may have thought he was okay with Colin's blatant flirting, but it gets old very fast. Sighing, I tried to focus on Teddy's explanation, but it was no use. My body could sense the tension in the room, and it made it impossible to listen. Under the table I paged Meredith 911, knowing I was seconds away from going crazy.

As Teddy wrapped up the meeting, I quickly stood. Walking behind Owen's chair, I lovingly squeezed his shoulder before walking towards the supply closet I was planning on meeting Meredith. It wasn't long before Colin was following me, briskly walking to catch up. "Cristina," he breathed, reaching for my arm. Pulling away for a third time, my mouth set into a frown. I was about to speak before he interrupted. "I saw Preston a few days ago, he told me what happened. I had no idea, I'm so sorry," He apologized, seeming genuine.

"Don't be," I shrugged. "In case you forgot, I'm happy. I didn't marry Dr. Hunt just because I needed a replacement for Burke," I snapped, getting impatient. Colin lowered his eyes to look at the ground, "Of course you didn't." he mumbled. He opened his mouth to continue, but I was already gone. I had no interest in what Dr. Marlow had to say. Slipping into the closet, I waited for Meredith. A few minutes later she slipped in, closing the door behind her. "Why the 911? Is Owen's married happiness making you sick? I knew you wouldn't hold out," she teased, leaning against a shelf.

I laughed at the irony. After Colin's antics, Owen was far from married happiness. , "Mer, we've got a big problem. We have a cardio god problem," I responded, sinking to the floor. Confused, Meredith sat next to me, her eyes seeking clarification. "The cardio case is a present for me; Owen got it for our anniversary. Which would be awesome, except he also brought a cardio god on the case who is Colin Marlow," I explained. Meredith shuddered, remembering the last time he visited. He harassed both me and Burke, and had almost cost me my engagement. Thinking back, maybe it would've been better had we broken up then. There would've been no need for the church, or the altar that I got left on.

"My thoughts exactly, and Owen's trying to be supportive but I know Colin's going to get him angry. Stupid ass is going to ruin our anniversary," I grumbled, leaning my head on Meredith's shoulder. "Hey do you have any good ideas on what to get Owen? He got me this amazing surgery, and he's going to need something good after an entire day of the cardio god," I joked. Meredith shrugged, "You're asking me? I've got no idea, last year I gave Derek cuff links. He was so disappointed we didn't have sex for a week. Accept it, we're not at all romantic people."

"It's true. Well I'm going to check on Owen, make sure we're still going on our date," I got up and brushed the dust off my scrubs. Pushing open the door, I scowled as I found Colin waiting for me outside of it. Meredith awkwardly smiled, then hurried away. "You should really stop this whole puppy act, it's pitiful," I shoved past him towards Owen's office, stopping only when I had to wait for the elevator.

As I stepped inside, Colin opened his mouth to speak. Quickly, I pressed the button and watched as the doors closed on his face. Knocking quietly on Owen's office door, he looked up from his paperwork and smiled. Pushing away from the desk, Owen reached for my hand and closed the door behind him. Leaning down, he kissed me squarely on the lips. "Hello," his breath tickled my face. "Hi," I responded, melting into his chest.

"I just wanted to make sure cardio god didn't scare you off, and that we were still on for dinner," I joked. Owen smiled, crushing me softly to his chest. Absently, he played with my curls as I stroked his arm. "Of course, I'll meet you at eight in the lobby," Owen reminded me. I glanced out the window, my back stiffening. Sensing my discomfort, Owen's eye s followed mine, right to were Colin Marlow was standing watching us.

Feeling a little arrogant, Owen smiled quickly before pulling me in for a kiss. This one was not as tame as the first; I could feel Owen's jealousy through his lips. My fingers grazed his hair, and I knew he could my feel my frustration. When we pulled apart, it was difficult to breathe. Resting my head on Owen's chest, I looked back to see that Colin had left, sick of the show. Triumphantly, Owen encircled me in his arms and kissed my forehead softly. The tension was gone, replaced with our original bliss from this morning.

In a corner of the hospital, Colin Marlow was furiously searching for his cell phone in his briefcase. He had been late this morning, and in a rush shoved the device in a random pocket. After finally locating it, he dialed a number, than held the phone to his ear. Watching Cristina with Dr. Hunt was painful, more painful than it was when it was her and Burke. Maybe it was because when Cristina was with Burke, she wasn't Cristina. She was a ghost of herself. Yet now with Owen, she is herself. All except the marriage, that part still got him. He wasn't jealous of Burke for long, because the Cristina he was with wasn't the Cristina that Colin missed or wanted. But that Cristina was with Owen, and he was jealous. Extremely jealous.

"Hello?" a voice on the other line answered. "Preston," Colin started, collecting his thoughts. "You wouldn't believe what's happened."


	4. Chapter 4

Lying down in the on-call room, I attempted to sort out this mess of a day. It had started out perfect, exactly what Owen and I needed. With the stress of his new job, and Meredith loosing Zola, we'd become distracted. Both of us had silently been waiting for this night, knowing that we could finally be together with no interruptions. Neither of us had expected a surprise visit from my ex-boyfriend, causing an unavoidable distraction.

Shielding my eyes from the light seeping in through the window, my thoughts ran laps through my mind. Not only had I been avoiding Colin all day, but I still had nothing to give to Owen for our anniversary. Through this whole Colin thing, he has been nothing but supportive and calm. But if I let the cardio god distract me enough from not getting him a present, he's going to be hurt.

I, Cristina Yang am not a romantic person. Romance is not my thing, and being dreamy is definitely not my thing either. Passionate, sure. Loving, sometimes. But romantic, never. Owen knows that, and embraces that, and he's never minded. The love we have for each other isn't one that needs to be shoved down everyone's throats, obvious for everyone to see. Usually he wouldn't mind my lack of creativity when it comes to anniversary presents, but after a day like today he deserved it. I wanted to think of something good.

Interrupting my thoughts, someone pushes the on-call room door open, not bothering to knock. I'm about to snap at them to find their own room, until I realize it's Callie. The exhaustion is obvious on her face, and she looks as though she's about to pass out. "Hey you look like hell," I murmer, as she lays down in the bed adjacent from me. "Sofia's got a cold, so she spent most of last night crying and sniffling. It was so pitiful, and Arizona's got a cold now too. I'm about pass out," she grumbled.

"Hey, you and Arizona are always super romantic and lovey-dovey, right?" I asked her, suddenly excited. Callie snorted, and rolled over to face me. "Let me guess, you have no idea what to get Owen for your anniversary," she laughs, knowing exactly what I'm up too. To most people, I'm extremely unpredictable, due to the fact I don't usually open up to anyone. Yet for the few people I do open up too, they always know what I'm up to.

"How did you know?" I mumbled, rubbing my temples. "Well I'm sure you're distracted with all the Colin Marlow business, and you never plan ahead with gifts. I know you Cristina, you're not the romantic type," she rolls her eyes. "Well I could've told you that, and I'm desperate. I need something good for Owen, he deserves it after the day he's been having," I groaned.

Callie sighed, then looked me in the eyes. "Think about what Owen means to you, what role he plays in your life. Imagine where you'd be without him, and it'll put everything into perspective," she offers, before falling asleep. Laying back, I think about her words. Well obviously he's my husband, that's his role. Yet husband doesn't seem to convey everything he is to me. He's my best friend, my confidante. He's my protector, he makes me feel safe. He taught me to love and to take risks, as well as how to be a better doctor. Since saying those things out loud just sounds crazy, I need to somehow find a gift to convey all those feelings. Racking my brain, I suddenly realize the perfect gift.

Sliding out of the bed, I shove my feet back into my tennis shoes. Carefully I close the door of the on-call room behind me, making sure not to wake Callie. Deftly, I avoided Colin who was rounding the corner to speak with me. Heading into the locker room, I quickly shrugged out of my scrubs. Balling them up, I tossed them into my cubby. Slipping into my clothes, I grabbed my purse and headed towards the parking lot. Glancing at my watch, I realized I only had an hour to get ready and retrieve Owen's present. Pulling out of the parking lot, I made my way towards the firehouse.

Five minutes before eight, I pulled back into Owen's parking spot. Carefully, I stepped out of the truck making sure not to fall in my heels. I smiled as I looked to the sky, it was clear just like we wanted it to be. Smoothing my dress, I grabbed the small box with Owen's present inside and hid it in the glove compartment. Locking the truck behind me I made my way to the lobby.

As the doors opened, I noticed Owen sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for me. Grinning, I walked towards him and reached for his hand. "Hello," I murmered, entwining his fingers with mine. "Hi Love," he kissed my temple before wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Let's go to dinner," he led my though the sliding doors and out to the truck.

Clinking our glasses together, we kissed over our candlelight dinner. Owen had arranged to have the top of the lighthouse to ourselves. He'd cooked, and set up everything. "This is amazing," I gushed, reaching for his hand over the table. Owen had really outdone himself, and I silently thanked Callie for helping me to find him a present worthy of him. "Really it's nothing," Owen shrugged modestly, but I could tell he was pleased. Reaching down, I retrieved the small box from my purse.

"Present time," I smiled as I handed him the small box. "Cristina, you didn't have to," he grinned, taking it from me. Nimbly, his fingers unwrapped the parcel. Lifting up the lid, the looked inside. He held up the silver watch that had once belonged to my father. "Cristina, this is a beautiful watch. I hope you didn't spend too much money on it," I leaned over to kiss my cheek. Smiling to myself, I kissed him back. "I didn't spend a dime, and it comes with a story," I told him, motioning for him to follow me to the blanket he'd set up on the ground. Nodding, he sat down and pulled me into his arms, "Do share," he whispered into my hair.

Breathing in, I held his hand in mine and began. "My dad, he and I were really close. He would teach me, he was so smart. We'd have discussions about everything from the solar systems to harry potter. He protected me, and made me feel safe. After he died, I was so afraid to get close to someone like that, because they'd leave me. Then Burke happened, and it just increased my fear of abandonment. I trusted him, and he left me. After that, I never thought I'd ever be ready to commit, to love someone, until I met you Owen. It wasn't until I met you that I realized that it was okay to get close to someone, because if they truly love you they won't leave you. I knew you wouldn't leave me, because you loved me. I knew that it was alright to want a future with you. That watch belonged to my father. I kept it to remind me of everything that my dad meant to me. All that he was, a teacher, a confidante, a protector. I'll always miss my dad, but I don't need his watch anymore. I don't need it because you're my protector. You make me feel safe. You're my teacher and my best friend. And I love you, so much," I smiled and kissed him deeply.

Crushing me to his chest, he kissed my hair. "You are absolutely amazing, and I love you so much Cristina," he kissed me again. "Happy anniversary Owen," I told him. "Happy anniversary love," he responded, wrapping me tighter into his arms.


End file.
